The study of multidrug resistance (MDR) in tumor cell lines has led to the discovery of the plasma membrane P-glycoprotein (Pgp) molecule. This protein functions as an energy-dependent pump for the efflux of diverse anticancer drugs from MDR cells. It now appears that Pgp-mediated MDR tumor cells do occur in human cancers, and that they are likely to play a role in the ultimate response of patients to chemotherapy. Chemosensitizers, compounds able to reverse the MDR phenotype, have been identified and offer the exciting possibility of improving efficacy for some nonresponsive malignancies. Surprisingly, Pgp-like molecules can be found in evolutionarily distant species among both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. As a group, these proteins form a superfamily of ATP-dependent transport proteins. This finding has broad implications and provides new insights into how living organisms use this fundamental transport system to regulate the trafficking of diverse molecules across biological membranes.

Analysis of the primary protein structure of the human serotonin1B (5-HT1B) receptor reveals consensus sites for phosphorylation and a putative site for palmitoylation. To investigate these posttranslational modifications, we have expressed a c-myc epitope-tagged 5-HT1B (m5-HT1B) receptor in Sf9 cells. This strategy enabled receptors to be detected by immunoblot analysis and purified by immunoprecipitation using a monoclonal antibody, 9E10, specific for the c-myc epitope. Agonist radioligand [3H]5-HT binding studies showed that the expressed 5-HT1B and m5-HT1B receptors displayed the characteristic pharmacological profile of the neuronal 5-HT1B receptor. The expressed receptors displayed both high- and low-affinity states for [3H]5-HT, suggesting that the receptors were coupled to endogenous G-proteins. Indeed, agonist binding to the high-affinity receptor state was regulated in the presence of GTP gamma S, Gpp(NH)p, and pertussis toxin. [32P]ADP-ribosylation experiments identified a major approximately 41-kDa ADP-ribosylated protein present in Sf9 membranes that comigrated with partially purified bovine brain Gi alpha/G(o) alpha subunits. Measurements of adenylyl cyclase activity in membranes from cells expressing m5-HT1B receptors showed that serotonergic agonists mediated the inhibition of adenylyl cyclase activity with a rank order of potency comparable to their affinity constants. Immunoblot analysis of membranes prepared from cells expressing m5-HT1B receptors and photoaffinity labeling of the immunoprecipitated material revealed photolabeled species at approximately 95 and at approximately 42 kDa.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

No abstract